§ Mr. ParryTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if pensions earned by retired members of the Hong Kong Government now living outside Hong Kong are paid in Hong Kong dollars or in the local currency.
§ Mr. GoodladHong Kong Government pensions are payable in Hong Kong dollars, irrespective of where the recipients reside. In the case of United Kingdom officers who have retired in the United Kingdom, they may be paid in pounds sterling by the Crown Agents at the prevailing rate of exchange.
§ Mr. ParryTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what agreement has been reached with the Chinese Government regarding the payment of pensions to retired civil servants of the Hong Kong Government; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GoodladWe reached the following agreement with the Chinese Government in the Sino-British Joint declaration of 1984
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government shall pay to such persons (public servants) who retire or complete their contracts, as well as to those who have retired before 1 July 1997, or to their dependants, all pensions, gratuities, allowances and benefits due to them on terms no less favourable than before, and irrespective of their nationality or place of residence.This provision is repeated in the Basic Law, the Chinese constitution for Hong Kong after 1997.
§ Mr. ParryTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the adequacy of pension arrangements of Hong Kong retired civil servants who now live outside the colony.
§ Mr. GoodladHong Kong Government pensioners, wherever they reside, have the option of having their pensions paid directly by the Hong Kong Government or the Crown Agents in the United Kingdom. As far as we are aware, both methods of payments have proved to be satisfactory.